Bandsaw Blade Terms

A clear understanding of blade terminology can help avoid confusion
when discussing cutting problems.

1. Blade Back - The body of the blade not including tooth portion.2. Gauge - The thickness of the blade.3. Width - The nominal dimension of a saw
blade as measured from the tip of the tooth to the back of the band.4. Set - The bending of teeth to right or left
to allow clearance of the back of the blade through the cut.5. Tooth - The cutting portion of a saw blade.6. Tooth Pitch - The distance from the tip of
one tooth to the tip of the next tooth.7. TPI - The number of teeth per inch as
measured from gullet to gullet.8. Gullet - The curved area at the base of the
tooth. The tooth tip to the bottom of the gullet is the gullet depth.9. Gullet Depth - The distance from the tooth
tip to the bottom of the gullet.10. Tooth Face - The surface of the tooth on
which the chip is formed.11. Tooth Back - The surface of the tooth opposite the
tooth face.12. Tooth Back Clearance Angle - The angle of the tooth
back measured in relation to the cutting direction of the saw.13. Tooth Rake Angle - The angle of the tooth
face measured with respect to a line perpendicular to the cutting direction of
the saw.14. Tooth Tip - The cutting edge of the saw
tooth.15. Kerf - Amount of material removed by the
cut of the blade.

BAND SPEEDThe rate at which the band saw blade moves
across the work to be cut. The rate is usually measured in feet per
minute (fpm) or meters per minute (mpm).

BASE BAND SPEEDList of recommended speeds for cutting
various metals, based on a 4" wide piece of that stock.

BI-METALA high speed steel edge material electron
beam welded to a spring steel back. Such a construction provides the
best combination of cutting performance and fatigue life.

BLADE WIDTHThe dimension of the band saw blade from
tooth tip to blade back.

Blade Construction

Blades can be made from one piece of steel, or built up of two pieces,
depending on the performance and life expectancy required.

Carbon Blades

Hard Back type:A one-piece blade made of carbon steel with a
hardened back and tooth edge.

Flex Back type: A one-piece blade
made of carbon steel with a hardened tooth edge and soft back.

Bi-metal Blades

A high speed steel edge material is electron beam
welded to fatigue resistant spring steel backing. Such a construction
provides the best combination of cutting performance and fatigue life.

Carbide Ground Tooth Blades

Teeth are formed in a high strength spring steel
alloy backing material.

Carbide is bonded to the tooth using a
proprietary welding operation. Tips are then side, face and top ground
to form the shape of the tooth.

Set Style Carbide Tooth

Teeth are placed in a high strength spring alloy
backing material. Carbide is bonded to the tooth and ground to form the
shape of the tooth. The teeth are then set, providing for side
clearance.

Tooth Form and Construction

As with a bi-metal blade design, there are advantages to differing tooth constructions. The carbide tipped tooth has carbide tips welded to a high strength alloy back. This results in a longer lasting, smoother cutting blade.

Tooth Form

The shape of the tooth’s cutting edge affects how efficiently the blade can cut through a piece of material while considering such factors as blade life, noise level, smoothness of cut and chip carrying capacity.

Modified Raker:5 or 7 tooth sequence with a uniform set angle for greater cutting efficiency and smoother surface finish (Left, Right, Left, Right, Straight). The order of set teeth can vary by product.

Vari-Raker:The tooth sequence is dependent on the tooth pitch and product family. Typically Vari-Raker set provides quiet, efficient cutting and a smooth finish with less burr.

Alternate:Every tooth is set in an alternating sequence. Used for quick removal of material when finish is not critical.

Wavy:Groups of teeth set to each side within the overall set pattern. The teeth have varying amounts of set in a controlled pattern. Wavy set is typically used with fine pitch products to reduce noise, vibration and burr when cutting thin, interrupted applications.

Vari-Set:The tooth height / set pattern varies with product family and pitch. The teeth have varying set magnitudes and set angles, providing for quieter operation with reduced vibration. Vari-Set is efficient for difficult-tocut materials and larger cross sections.

Single Level Set:The blade geometry has a single tooth height dimension. Setting this geometry requires bending each tooth at the same position with the same amount of bend on each tooth.

Dual Level Set:This blade geometry has variable tooth height dimensions. Setting this product requires bending each tooth to variable heights and set magnitudes in order to achieve multiple cutting planes.

NOTE:
When using a WOOD Cutting band saw for cutting metal (saw running about
3000 BFPM) hardened metal will not be able to be cut. Bandsaw blade
speeds between 75 and 300 BFPM are required to cut hardened materials
and receive favorable blade life. If your wood saw has two speeds, use
the slow speed for cutting soft metal.

Selecting the Proper TPI (teeth per inch):

When cutting wood, the Rule of Thumb is 3 to 12 teeth in the work, with the most
general purpose count being 6 TPI. The fewer teeth per inch provide a faster,
but rougher cut; and more teeth per inch provide a smoother, but slower cut.
When resawing use the widest blade suitable for your saw with the fewest number
of teeth per inch. Make sure that you select a blade of proper thickness. The
continual flexing of the blade causes metal fatigue and failure of the blade.
Fatigue is the tendency of a metal to break under continued flexing. The
thickness of the blade required depends upon the diameter of the wheels and the
work to be done. Thick blades will withstand more strain from cutting than thin
blades, but will break more easily from the bending action, especially when run
on small wheels. Each revolution flexes the blade to near the elastic limit of
the steel, which causes the metal to fatigue and break quickly. Thinner blades
are recommended when the work is light.

*Bandsaw Blade Speed BFPM is Band Feet Per Minute

The types of Lenox Band Saw Blade stock listed below
are for general metal cutting to high performance metal cutting operations

High speed steel tooth tips combined with flexible alloy steel backing
material results in band saw blades that are the most cost effective
choice for most metal sawing applications. A wide variety of products
are available to ensure optimal blade performance in your application.

High performance backing steel and optimized carbide grades give premium
band sawing performance. These band saws will cut faster and last longer
than any other band saw blade in a wide variety of sawing applications.

Selecting Bandsaw Blade Width, Thickness and TPI

Choosing the Correct Bandsaw Blade Width

Blade width is measured from the tips to the teeth to the back edge of the blade body.
The instructions for the particular bandsaw being used should be followed when selecting blade width.
If no such instructions exist, the blade width should be determined with the following guidelines:

Cut-Off Sawing (Re-sawing)
The blade selected should be as wide as the machine will allow, keeping in mind the blade thickness and wheel diameter.
The wider the bandsaw blade is, the straighter the cut will be.

Contour Sawing
The bandsaw blade should be as wide as the machine allows,
but still narrow enough so that it can cut the desired shape (radius).
Minimum dimensions for different cutting radii are shown in the radius chart

How to Choose the Correct Number of Teeth Per Inch (TPI)

The number of teeth per inch (TPI) is important in obtaining the
finish desired and the proper feed rate. A coarse tooth blade (2, 3
TPI) should be used for re-sawing wood and cutting thicker stock up
to 8" thick. A fine toothed blade (18 to 32 TPI) should be used for
thinner metals and plastics under 1/4". For general cutting of 3/4"
plywood 6 TPI will provide a fast cut and 14 TPI will cut much
slower but leave a smooth finish on the cut.

When Selecting TPI Remember:

More TPI gives a smoother but slower cut.

Fewer TPI allows for a faster cut with a slightly rougher cut surface.

Should have at least 3 teeth and less than 12 teeth in the work piece.

Band Saw Blade Thickness

The thickness of a bandsaw blade is determined by the thickness of
the blade body. Bandsaw blades vary in thickness .014", .018",
.020", .022", .025", .032", .035", .042", .050", .063".Make sure
that you select a blade of proper thickness. The continual flexing
of the blade causes metal fatigue and failure of the blade. Fatigue
is the tendency of a metal to break under continued flexing.The
thickness of the blade required depends upon the diameter of the
wheels and the work to be done. Thick blades will withstand more
strain from cutting than thin blades, but will brake more easily
from the bending action, especially when run on small wheels. Each
revolution flexes the blade to near the elastic limit of the steel,
which causes the metal to fatigue and brake quickly. Thinner blades
are recommended when the work is light.

It is not always possible to adhere to the above recommendations due
to the cutting operation you intend to perform and the particular
band saw you are using. To maintain extended fatigue life of the
blade, select the thinnest blade possible that will offer you the
appropriate number to TPI to perform you cutting operation.